11/7/13 Filament Winding - The Basics

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By Todd Johnson

Filament Winding - The Basics

Filament winding is the process of winding fiber material and resin

around a shape, known as a mandrel, to create composite product.

The process of filament winding is typically used to create circular

composite products with a hollow core. The filament winding

process can utalize many different fibers and resins to achieve

desired characteristics for the finished component. The end result is

an extremely efficient process to create low cost, lightweight, and

strong composite materials.

Examples of products created using the process of filament winding

include:

Advantages of Filament Winding

Filament winding has many advantages in the process of creating hollow composite products. Advantages include:

The process of filament winding is widely used in composite manufacturing to create highly customized hollow core structures that have unique

flexibility and strength characteristics. The process allows for the creation of these structures in a scalable, automated, and cost effective format.

Golf clubs

Bicycle components and tubes

Transmission poles

Sail boat masts

Aircraft fuselages

Gas, water, or tanks

Cement Mixers

Heavy duty construction products

Pipes

Weight – A key advantage to the filament winding process is that since all products are hollow and can be made without a permanent internal

system, they are extremely light without sacrificing strength. Light products translate to lower costs to produce, transport, and ship.

Design – Changes in the design and engineering process using different techniques in winding, curing, and material options allow for variations in

flexibility, strength, and pressure holding capacities (hoop strength).

Automation – Filament winding can be done in a high speed process using machines to quickly and accurately reproduce identical components. This

process can include sophisticated machinery and software to create complex engineered non-circular composite materials. Since the process can be

automated to a high degree, it is scalable and can allow for the precise mass production of highly complex components.

Cost Effective – By using low cost materials and automation the cost to produce components is substantially reduced. The process involves less

material, less labor, and less transportation costs than many other forms of component manufacturing methods.

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